Homebrew Alces Species Details

The city before us was built around the trees, the homes built high into the trees. We never made it inside the actual walls, only ever doing business outside the grand hedges. The large, antlered beasts watched us the entire time. We never could find the place again.

— Alvar Farfoot, Myths of the Deep Woods

The alces dedicate their entire lives to serve as the guardians of the deep forests. They live isolated from the rest of the world, subtly leading outsiders away from their timeless sanctuaries. Though as the outside world further encroaches many younger alces begin to shun the ancient traditions and look to explore the greater world.

Fated Roles

From the moment they are born an alces will have their path predetermined. On the day of their birth, an alces is assigned a role to play in society; commoner, brute, arcanist or noble. These roles are assigned dependant on the number of babies in a litter and the physical traits of the newborn. 

If more than one alces is born, the runt is immediately assigned to serve as a noble, these babies are trained to become monarch alces and serve as the governing body of the city. They are trained in basic magics and diplomacy, Many monarch alces grow to bell tall and slender, aided by a healthy diet and exposure to magic. Monarch alces rarely do hard labour and find little need for their horns, these alces often train their horns into decorative patterns, weaving fabrics and painting them to follow the current fashions. 

Other alces in the litter serves as the commoners for their community. Parvus alces serve their community with more freedom than others, pursuing their own education and interests as desired. The parvus often take the brunt of the workload in a community by serving as craftsmen, shopkeepers and foragers. These alces often tend to end up the smallest physically, though their lives lend to them being versatile, developing the skills and tools that best serve their days of work. A parvus alces generally lets their horns grow naturally, not training them like the monarch alces, but not developing the skills to use them properly like the bellator.

When only one alces is born they are often born much larger than calves in a litter. These alces are often born with the first signs of antlers and are raised to serve as brutes. These bellator alces often serve as labourers, guards and soldiers, training to use their wide antlers alongside weapons in service of the forest.

On the rare occasion that an alces is born with deep red fur, they are immediately taken from their mothers and raised by the arcanists. These alces often never see a day of labour in their lives, instead training their minds to best master the arcane arts. Many of the alces rubrum spend their lives learning shamanistic arts, learning to incorporate nature into their magic. Though many others see themselves above the commoners and their association with nature, these alces take to books or seek to gain powers from beings greater than themselves. At a young age, rubrum begin to carve runes into their horns learning to channel their magic through themselves, this process often makes a rubrum's horns too delicate and precious for use as weapons.

Emerging Isolationists

Most alces communities are deep in the most remote woods, far away from other signs of civilisation. These communities work hard to stay isolated, working with the forest to hide themselves and guide adventurers away from their recluse. Most alces live their entire lives in the timeless woods, and for many, it never occurs to leave the quiet peace. Though many younger alces challenge this way of life, as more adventurers get close to discovering the alces, these youths begin to push for communication with the outside world. Some abscond in the night, looking for a life outside the hedge walls, looking to find adventure and greatness beyond the traditions of their home. This is turn leads to more alces being sent out into the world to either return the defectors or to attempt to control the damage already done. 

Living Cities

Behind great hedge walls, Alces cities and communities are entwined in the trees they are built around, curving high into the branches of the great trees around them. The whole city works together to shape the growth of trees and other flora. Most citizens in these cities tend small gardens, both communal and private. These small dots of greenery in the city further serve to hide the city from prying eyes as well as aiding in feeding the vegetarian cities of the alces. 

Alces Names

Alces names have a suffix dependant on the caste that they serve. Alces also take a secondary name, this name declares them to be the child of the parent of the same gender, using the suffix 'mas' for males and 'duas' for females. The only exception to this is the alces rubrum who often never learn the identity of their parents. Many defecting alces take new names that match the culture of their new homes, though more traditional alces take pride in their names. An example of a traditional, female monarch name is Exadiareg Orraduas, though among close friends she might simply go by Exadia.

Alces Names: Avendra-, Azzard-, Barbo-, Bullius-, Clad-, Ellantra-, Exadia-, Fulka-, Gunka-, Hallo-, Horti-, Ivinku-, Karkena-,  Lexatri-,  Lord-, Lucia-, Nyla-, Orra-, Orrax-, Ozzad-, Priato-, Purven-, Ragno-, Rekar-, Rivilda-, Stra-, Sylva-, Torad-, Umba-, Umbra-, Vanta-, Yvano-, Zola-

Bellator Suffixes: -dova, -ok, -tor, -vark

Monarch Suffixes: -alix, -erian, -ialis, -reg, -regna

Parvus Suffixes: -bon, -do, -enom, -ol, -pol, -tom

Rubrum Suffixes: -avial, -ax, -dox, -exial, izon, -xon, -zal

Alces Traits

Your alces character has the following traits

Ability Score Increase

Your Wisdom score increases by 2.

Age

While there is some variation among subraces, most alces live to be over 100 with. The monarch alces is the longest lived, living around 140-160 years, the bellator alces typically live for 120-130 years and the alces rubrum live for 100-110 years. The parvus alces however only lives for around 75 years.

Alignment

The alces devote themselves to caring for nature and often worship Obad-Hai, these devotions bend them towards at least some level often neutrality.

Size

Alces are generally between 6 and 7 feet tall, including their horns. bellator alces are typically the tallest and heaviest, monarch alces are slightly smaller and lighter, alces rubrum are again smaller and parvus alces rarely make it to 6 feet, more often falling between 5 and 6 foot.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to the thick overgrowth of the depths of the woods, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Wild Gardener

The alces spend their lives tending to the natural state of the forest, they tend the plants and animals as a part of their culture. You have proficiency in the Nature skill.

Speak with Small Beasts

Through sounds and gestures, you can communicate simple ideas with small or smaller beasts. Alces are accustomed to reading the small beasts of the forest to look for subtle changes in the forest. Small beasts can detect coming danger and shifts in weather long before most alces, keeping an eye on the local wildlife can serve as an early warning for these shifts.

Favour of the Forest

Your connection with the animals of the forest has taught you how to win favour with gentler creatures. You can cast the animal messenger spell once with this trait as a 2nd-level spell, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.

Languages

You can speak, read and write Common and your choice of either Celestial or Sylvan. It is common for the more religious alces, to learn Celestial as a part of the studies and worship, most monarch alces and bellator alces will learn the language at a young age. Alces rubrum and parvus alces are often closer to nature and the spirits of the forests they live in, this sometimes results in young rubrum and parvus learning Sylvan instead.